Swim Coach at Middlesex Club Taught Kids to #StandTall

Patch and When the Game Stands Tall are asking about the coaches, teachers or mentors who inspired you.

Ten-year-old Giorgia Christiansen’s mentor is her swim coach!

My mentor’s name: Marj Trifone

How long have you known mentor: I have know Marj for 5 years.

Marj is the swim coach at Middlesex Club.

My swimming coach Marj has taught me to succeed in many ways. She was the one to teach me to swim on pre-team. Then when I moved on to the team, she taught me the more important things in swimming. Team effort, good sportsmanship, hard work, and most of all, fun. These are the things she taught me that led me to true success. I’ve also made friends through swimming, and none of these things would of happened without Marj. Swimming in the summer makes me smile. Marj inspires me to swim even harder every minute I’m around her. She’s made my swimming an incredible, fun journey.

Marj has taught me to handle failure well. If you get disqualified, that’s perfectly fine. You tried your hardest. Then you just move on, and get ready for the next event you’re swimming. you have to push the problem into the back of your brain. It might still bug you, but I’ve learned to ignore it. I’ve messed up badly before. When I did the first time, it was awful. The second time was better. Now, I’m great at it. I say to myself, “Forget it. You tried”, then like I said, I just move on. Marj has been there for all my failures in swimming, and will still support me in the ones I’ll make next.

The best piece of advice Marj has ever given to me is to stay true to yourself, and definitely, stay true to the the team. I’ve used that advice, and it’s never let me down. Everyone should use that advice, even if you aren’t on a sports team. I will use that advice forever, and I won’t forget it. Every day that I spend on the pool deck at Middlesex Swim Club, that’s the message I get from Marj, and I’m sure the rest of my wonderful team does too.